DCC challenged us to create a brand and public information campaign to encourage the people of County Durham back to their local high streets after the lockdown; our client’s brief was “Think colour, think carnival,” no small fete.

Away from the city and the Cathedral, Durham’s vast geography and broad demographic inspired this accessible solution. Our work combines welcoming messages in local traders’ voices with a visual language referencing the price stickers and handmade signs still commonly found in the shops of Durham’s streets, villages, and mining towns. This grounded thinking meant we could easily embed the work across the County, and tailor messages to suit individual market towns onto every adshel and each piece of print, all underpinned with a clear safety message. This localised approach shows the council is in touch with its public, that it cares about the people who make Durham, Durham.